AUBURN — Teaming up with the big orange bus and local health organizations, the city of Auburn is hosting a health fair offering free services Wednesday.

Featured will be “Leave It To Beaver” star Jerry Mathers, and the drug industry’s “Help is Here Express” orange bus that will offer help with prescription assistance programs. After Wednesday, anyone can get help in applying for prescription assistance programs at City Hall, Mayor John Jenkins said Monday.

Mathers and the orange bus will be at the Auburn City Hall Plaza, the parking lot behind City Hall, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to help uninsured and financially-struggling Mainers get information on how to get prescription medicine for free or nearly free.

Named one of the most well known individuals in television history by People Magazine in 1989, Mathers is currently one of the nation’s leading lecturers on living and dealing with diabetes.

The bus tour is part of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, nationwide effort sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical research companies. The PPA has helped nearly six million people across America, including more than 23,800 patients in Maine. The bus will be staffed by trained specialists able to quickly help patients access information on more than 475 patient assistance programs.

Whether people qualify will depend on their income, their medication costs, and whether they are uninsured or underinsured for prescription drugs. People should bring their prescription bottles with the name and dosage of their medications, any health coverage they have, and be ready to provide proof of annual income.

Also available at the health fair will be a variety of health services, including:

• Free blood pressure checks by the Auburn Fire Department.
• Free health risk appraisals by Central Maine Medical Center.
• Free cholesterol screenings by St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center.
• Free exercise information by the YMCA.
• Free nutrition advice by Healthy Androscoggin.
• Free massage therapy by Dan LaRoche.

Work to create Wednesday’s health fair began two years ago “when we began negotiating with PhRMA when the bus first came to Maine,” Jenkins said. More people need to be aware they can get help affording their medicine. That will be a new service Auburn and other municipalities will begin providing in their health and General Assistance Office.

“The bus rolls out once a year with a celebrity,” but the rest of the year Auburn will partner with the program to provide the service year round, Jenkins said. “It won’t matter who’s the mayor. This service will help people at no cost to the city.”

On Wednesday more wellness services will be provided for free. Just providing medication help sends the wrong message “that drugs are the only solution to good health,” Jenkins said. “This wellness fair is about prevention so people don’t need medication.”

Several local health groups stepped up to the plate to be there and help people learn how to get and stay healthy, Jenkins said.